Religion & autism

Autism guide

The reason why religion plays an important role in relation to autism has a simple explanation. Every religious practice suggests that God treats all humans as equals, irrespective of caste, color, creed, karma or physical challenges. Bedtime stories have always revolved around how God selects a chosen few, who are special and send them to us to be cared for. Religion and autism are often used together, for the simple reason that a condition such as this can be prevalent at any corner of the world irrespective of which religion you follow. Apart from this the greater stance is the inability of the medical sciences to pinpoint a single root cause for autism.

When there are no answers, most people turn to religion for one. Once you deal with the initial trauma and understand and accept the truth, very often you are in need of a strong support system that helps you deal with this situation for life. Just as we turn to our religion for other things in life, this too calls for submission. In religion we find salvation and an explanation to present circumstances. Religion makes us more tolerant towards autism apart from strengthening faith and confidence.

It is obvious that parents tend to get a little fearful of the situation or at times holding themselves responsible for their child’s condition. In order to deal with such intense feelings, religion is often the only solution to all of these apprehensions. The reasoning behind looking at religion for an answer is varied for different families but the one common truth is acceptance. Religious scriptures have never looked at physical disabilities differently so why should we mere mortals do so.

This said, religion is the only explanation to narratives of miracles all around the world. Though every family learns to deal with autism they turn to religion for a miracle to happen, apart from drawing strength from it. Since physicians and pediatricians tell parents and caregivers the status of an autistic child and explain to them at the very beginning itself, that the condition is a life long one, people turn to religion in order to be able to accept the truth and live with it.

Though an autistic child will learn to interact and lead a fairly comfortable life over time with the help of special treatment, the truth regarding this non-curable condition is never undermined. As such, introducing religion to the autistic individual may also allow him/her to find solace when dealing with day-to-day life. This is because in time autistic adults may learn the real truth of their condition and look at themselves differently.

This may be a difficult situation and faith and belief often sees them through. Since all of us identify with one religion or another, it makes acceptance a lot easier. At times an autistic individual’s may make enquiries or ask questions to people round them that may be very difficult to answer. True faith in religion links all answers to God, which makes the situation more inspirational for all who are involved.